Last season the Ducks were 9-21, the year before 14-17, and the year before 17-14. The Ducks were getting worse and worse and not attracting top players. The result, Paul Westhead was hired to replace Bev Smith. Now if you go by contracts, this is a huge upgrade. Plus, Westhead is the only Coach to ever win both an NCAA title and a WNBA Title. His record coaching college men is a 56% winning percentage. He is best known for his run and gun style of play with Loyola Marymount and the NBA Denver Nuggets. The huge question is can Westhead come back to college and give 5 years or so to build a program? It remains to be seen.
The Ducks losses were minimal. Center Ellie Manou was their # 3 scorer, 8 points per game, and # 2 rebounder, 5 per game. Manou returned to her native Australia. Guard Darriel Gaynor was their # 11 scorer and she did not return.
Now the next question is, will Oregon really play a run and gun, get to 100 type of game? Well I don’t know, but I really doubt that they have that kind of team today. They have a very light schedule, GaTech, Wisconsin and Utah being their toughest games by far. So maybe they will run. It’s a team with only four players over 6 feet, if that’s any indication.
Oregon returns two big Centers, 6-5 JR Nicole Canepa, and 6-4 Jr Ellyce Ironmonger. Canepa averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds per game as a frosh, but injuries held her to 6 points and 2 rebounds per game last season. She’s athletic and can run. Ironmonger is, well a banger. She started 17 games two years ago as a frosh, averaging 6.5 points and 4 rebounds per game. Her highs were 18 points and 14 rebounds. However she fell off as a Soph to only 7.5 minutes per game. Both Centers played behind the departed Manou.
Amanda Johnson had a fine Frosh year, she’s a 6-2 Soph who led the Ducks in rebounding at 5.4 per game while averaging 7.9 points per game. Johnson was Honorable Mention All Pac 10 Frosh, and was the first Duck Frosh to lead the team in rebounding in 30 years, or since…Bev Smith, the former Head Coach. Victoria Kenyon is a 6-2 Jr from Australia. Kenyon has been mostly a back up Post for two seasons, although she did start 12 games as a frosh.
The Ducks have two fine Sr Guards in Taylor Lilley, 5-6, and Jillian Harmon’s Olympic teammate, 5-8 Micaela Cocks. Cocks was the leading scorer for the Ducks at 13.5 point per game, including 68 three’s at 39%. Cocks is also the all time Free Throw % leader at Oregon. Lilly was the # 2 scorer with 10 points per game, and hit 31% of her three’s. As a soph, two years ago, Lilly made 74 three’s. In High School Lilly made 275 three’s at a 44% rate.
Oregon has a number of players who could move into the rotation. 6-0 Soph Jasmin Holliday started 20 games and averaged 5 points per game last season. 5-10 Sr Lindsey Stafford started 14 games and averaged 4 points per game. 5-11 Jr Tatianna Thomas started 8 games and averaged almost 3 points per game. All three of these players should receive quite a bit of playing time. A note on all three, none are three point shooters.
Aliyah Green is a 5-11 Frosh from Portland, the only player signed by the old coaching staff last November. Nia Jackson is a 5-7 Soph. Nia lost last year to an ACL and had two difficult injuries as a frosh. She had a 9 point, 7 rebound game early in her career though, so has shown potential.
Two players were signed by the new Staff in April. Kristi Fallin was the Oregon JC Player of the Year. She’s a 5-10 Jr who scored 23 points per game. In her two JC years she hit 208 three’s and last year hit 118 at 45%. She could be a big addition and the 3rd outside bomber for the Ducks.
Candyce Flynn is another JC transfer, although she played her frosh year at Morehead State. Flynn is a 5-6 Point Guard who could start. She averaged 14 points and 5 assists a game last year in JC.
It’ll be an interesting year for Westhead and the Ducks. Not a great year but playing a very up tempo game.
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